Shubhanshu Shukla's ISS mission set for June 22: Check launch timings
What's the story
The Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission, which will take Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), is all set for a June 22 launch. The date comes after several delays due to technical issues and weather conditions. The mission will be launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 1:12pm IST onboard the Dragon spacecraft. This will be India's first return to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in 1984 aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.
Launch challenges
Initial launch date and delays
The Axiom-4 mission's launch was initially set for May 29, 2025, but faced multiple delays due to technical and environmental concerns. The first delay came on June 8 over Crew Dragon's electrical harness issues. This was followed by another delay on June 9 due to Falcon 9 vehicle readiness issues and yet another on June 10 owing to adverse weather conditions in the ascent corridor. Then a leak in the ISS's Zvezda module caused futher delays.
Preparations
Current status of crew
Now, with the launch date confirmed, Axiom Space is in the final stages of preparing the astronauts for their space mission. The crew has been in quarantine since May 14 to maintain all medical and safety protocols before this historic journey.
Crew details
Mission details and number of experiments
The Ax-4 mission will have a four-member international crew, including former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson as commander and Shukla as pilot. The other two mission specialists are European Space Agency project astronaut Sawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. They will conduct 60 scientific experiments in space, with India contributing seven studies led by Shukla himself.